Olmos Park City Council takes on an array of issues

Published 12:06 pm, Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Topics ranging from how the city keeps records of open government meetings to the way the city's website is manned were addressed at the March 21 Olmos Park City Council meeting.

Council approved keeping an archive of audio recordings of government meetings for longer than required by state law.

State law allows a municipality to keep a recording of a meeting up to 90 days after councilmembers approve official minutes of a meeting. Following that, a municipality could destroy the recording.

Residents can formally request at City Hall to listen to a meeting recording on site.

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However, council denied a proposal to request and keep verbatim minutes of such local government meetings.

Councilwoman Sharon Plant said keeping verbatim minutes, and a longer-term archive of audio recordings, help to provide residents with some context concerning more sensitive meeting discussions.

"I just want full disclosure," Plant said.

Councilwoman Gayle Girdley said verbatim minutes could help to provide a more "total picture" of discussions.

But Girdley added the city has neither equipment needed to produce verbatim minutes nor trained personnel who can transcribe them.

A resolution that council considered last week would have given the policy-making body flexibility to request and approve verbatim minutes if a majority of council members feel such transcriptions are necessary.

City attorney Frank Garza said few of the municipalities he serves as a city attorney have verbatim minutes.

"The reason is because city secretaries aren't stenographers. I prefer a summation of minutes,” Garza said. “It's simpler and actually helps me to provide better argument on an issue than specific minutes.”

He added that maintaining recordings longer is more helpful because that aids providing a history of an issue.

In other action March 21, council rejected by a 3-2 vote Plant's proposal to disburse a request for qualifications for an administrator to manage the city's website and emails.

Plant lauded Councilwoman Pat Semmes' performance as a volunteer webmaster the past few years.

But Plant said she feels more comfortable having another person, away from city government, who could devote more time administrating the city's web services.

Other council members expressed concern about a lack of scope in an envisioned RFQ.

They also wondered, if such a full-time webmaster — hired even on a consulting basis — could maintain timely, direct service on the level that Semmes has provided.

Council approved the local economic development corporation and city working more closely with CPS Energy on the replacement of utility poles along McCullough Avenue.

The end result should slightly reduce the number of poles on the street and reduce the amount of cross-street lines.

City officials say they hope CPS Energy fully hears all of the city's concerns before replacement work ends, and that the city and affected businesses get regular project updates.

Council also unanimously approved having the city's roundabout committee talk to Horton Horticulture about adding 13 plants to the McCullough roundabout.

In addition, the committee would request Horton to apply any necessary modifications to the ground layout and irrigation system to improve vegetation at the roundabout.

The entire project shouldn't exceed $1,400, city officials said.

Council also formed a working committee, including City Manager Mike Simpson and city secretary Celia DeLeon, to merge two versions of a city personnel policies and procedures manual into one formal document.

Plant and fellow resident Susan Stone, an employment attorney, described the existing employee manual as an overly lengthy document saddled with verbiage needing to be cleaned up.